A photo of a woman wearing a Congress party shawl posing with Rahul Gandhi is being shared on social media as Muskan Khan - the burqa wearing Muslim student who stood up against a group of boys wearing saffron scarves and chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' in Karnataka recently.
However, BOOM found that the woman in the viral photo standing with Gandhi is Amba Prasad, Congress MLA from Barkagaon in Jharkhand.
The ongoing Hijab controversy in Karnataka sparked off violence and protests in the state as students with saffron shawls protesting against Muslim girls wearing hijab in educational institutions on January 8, 2022. A video of Khan walking alone while being heckled by a group of boys wearing saffron shawls and chanting 'Jai Shri Ram', and she in response chanting 'Allah-hu-Akbar' against the group, outside PES college in Mandya, Karnataka had gone viral that day.
Also Read: How Right-Wing Group Hindu Jagarana Vedike Mobilised Students With Saffron Attire
The viral photo is being shared with the caption which translates to, "Karnataka's hijab girl is with Rahul Gandhi, Is he Pappu or a conspirator"
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The photo is also being shared widely on Facebook with the false claim.
Also Read: Karnataka Hijab Row: No, This Is Not A Photo Of Student Muskan Khan
FACT-CHECK
BOOM found that the woman in the viral photo is Amba Prasad, Congress MLA from Barkagaon in Jharkhand, and not student Muskan Khan from Mandya, Karnataka.
Prasad had rubbished the viral claim confirming that she is the woman in the viral photo by quote tweeting a tweet falsely hinting that the woman in the photo is Khan.
"This is me, Barkagaon MLA from the Congress party. An attempt is being made to spread discord by calling this the photo the burqa girl in Karnataka, so let me tell you that in our party we respect everyone's rights. Be it saffron clothes or hijab."
Additionally, Prasad had posted the same photo on February 8, 2022, when she along with other Congress MLA's from Jharkhand had met Rahul Gandhi.
BOOM has previously fact-checked other unrelated photos of a JDS Karnataka party member being misidentified as Khan.
Also Read: Another Image Of JDS' Najma Nazeer Viral As Burqa-Clad Protestor Muskan